The three-day first phase of Biswa Ijtema will end on Sunday with the Akheri Munajat on the bank of the Turag River at Tongi in Gazipur.

Hafez Mohammad Zubayer, the Imam of Kakrail Mosque in Dhaka, will conduct the Akheri Munajat to be held at 11am, said the Ijtema organisers, reports the UNB.

The three-day Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after the hajj, began on Friday.

Thousands of devotees, both from home and abroad, are attending the congregation. Some 4,473 foreign devotees from 88 countries joined the first phase of the Ijtema.

Ibrahin Refa, an Islamic scholar of Kuwait, conducted Saturday’s ‘a’m bayan’ (general sermon) which was translated into Bangla by Maulana Nurur Rahman.

The second phase of Ijtema will be held on January 19-21.

Tabligh Jamaat has been organising the Ijtema at the venue since 1967. But, the Ijtema is being held in two phases from 2011 to ease the accommodation.

Meanwhile, three devotees, including a Malaysian citizen, died at the Ijtema ground in three days due to old-age complications and illness.

The Malaysian devotee, Nurhan Bin Abdur Rahman, hailing from Malaysia, fell sick on completion of his ablution for players on Friday night and later died on the way to hospital, said another devotee Giyas Uddian.

Besides, Rafiqul Islam, 50, son of Shamsul Haque, hailing from Laxmipur district, died early in the morning as he suffered a heart attack at the Ijtema venue.

The namaz-e-janaza of the two devotees was held after Fajr prayers.